Sailing - New monohull boat design unveiled for 2021 America's Cup

(Reuters) - The boats teams will race at the 2021 America’s Cup in New Zealand will feature monohulls, a departure from the catamarans used during this year’s competition in Bermuda, the designers said on Monday.

Like the catamarans raced at the America’s Cup in June, the futuristic-looking, 75-foot long boats have wing-like foils attached to the hull that will lift them out of the water when they accelerate to reduce drag and increase speed.

“When sailing at speed it will get up on the foils so the hull is completely out of the water, just like how the AC50 catamarans were,” Team New Zealand design coordinator Dan Bernasconi said, referring to the boats raced in Bermuda, during a radio interview on Monday.

“That allows for much higher speeds than a conventional monohull,” he said.

“It’s early days but we think that when the boats are up and foiling it’s got the potential to be even quicker than the AC50 cats were.”

In an effort to make the boats safer, the Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa design teams said the boats would be able to right themselves in the event of a capsize.

The design teams are also looking at a number of potential innovations for the AC75’s rig and will release details on that before March 31 next year.

“We’re really excited about the concept and can’t wait to see it on the water,” Bernasconi said.

New Zealand crushed the U.S. at the America’s Cup in June with a stunning 7-1 victory in Bermuda’s Great Sound to capture international sport’s oldest trophy.